for a meeting one day dressed as some type of intergalactic princess. intergalactic prin captioning sponsored by cbs captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. good evening. er're about to set a weather aycord. the government told us today that this year is on track to be the warmest ever recorded. owerar this year, the degreature in the lower 48 states is averaging 57 degrees, rmich is about three degrees above normal. wd the drought will go down as the second worst drought it, topped only by the dustbowl of the 1930s. a storm moving through the midwest is bringing some much- needed precipitation. chicago is just getting its first measurable snowfall. it's the latest in the year that that has ever happened. but the storm is making a mess of travel heading into the holidays, and dean reynolds is in the middle of it. >> reporter: traffic in the

ns sest and great plains simply stopped cold. stranded on interstate trucker tracy martin spoke for many. >> once you're stuck, you're stuck. it's hard to get out. >> reporter: the snow took all autumn to fall, and when it did, it was blown by 50-mile-per-hour gusts into drifts two feet deep. hofoot fell in des moines. oten more is forecast in parts of wisconsin and michigan. whiteouts led to a pileup of 25 vehicles near iowa falls, iowa. two lives were lost. weo others died in traffic on wednesday in nebraska. thousands were without power across the region as the thermometer headed into the 20s and lower. the blizzard's timing could not have been worse for the vanguard of holiday travelers. chicago's airports were filled with the delayed or the stranded. at least 500 flights were canceled. em, mayhem, a prelude to friday,

the nation's busiest travel day of the holiday season. reatblizzard also threatened to delay christmas packages during the most intense period of deliveries of the year, but in belvedere, illinois, spencer hammer watched the flakes fall and cheered. he sells snowmobiles. what are you hoping for? >> well, if we can get 12 inches that will be fabulous, but we'll take four inch as this point. >> reporter: now, we're expecting the snow to continue through the night here in northern illinois before this storm moves off into canada. but, scott, it's still expected to drop a lot of rain on the northeast u.s. >> pelley: dean, thanks very much. wo we is a chill in washington over those fiscal cliff negotiations. in less than two weeks, there's roing to be a big tax increase americans and across the board t ts in the federal budget. the speaker of the house, and the president are trying to negotiate a solution, but prey're deadlocked on the question of raising taxes.

president obama has proposed an $er taxes for households making more than $400,000. speaker boehner wants a tax increase only for households making a million or more. house is going to vote on that coposal tonight, and nancy cordes is on capitol hill for us. nancy. >> scott, shortly before that vote was due to take place house speaker john boehner announced he was canceling it with no democratic support, he needed almost every republican to get on board. and in the end he didn't e ve the votes. negotiations between speaker boehner and the white house ground to a halt today as everyone watched to see if he and house republican leaders would get the votes they needed to pass plan b, a bill preventing tax rates from going up for households making less than $1 million a year. majority leader eric cantor. >> we protect 99-- 99.81% of american taxpayers from a tax increase in these very

whfficult economic times. >> reporter: that wasn't good fluff for some conservatives who said taxes should not go up for anybody. to placate them speaker boehner introduced a second bill cutting spending by about $200 billion. the whitehouse says the reason that you are resorting to plan b is because you realize you didn't have as much republican support as you wanted for your own proposal in fiscal cliff negotiations, is that true? >> listen, the president knows that i have been able to keep my word on every agreement we've ever made. the fact is, is that his plan is not balanced. and as a result, time is running short. i'm going to do everything i can to protect as many americans from an increase in taxes as i can. short. ha reporter: majority leader harry reid said even if plan b passed house it would be dead on arrival in the senate.

>> we not going to do anything to protect the tea party-driven hat ership in the house. it's not what the american eyople want. it's not what they voted for. >> reporter: with no deal in seght, leader reid announced today the senate would leave soon for the christmas holiday and come back december 27. at that point, scott, there would only be four days left before the deadline. >> pelley: nancy, thank you. toe biggest sale today at the new york stock exchange was the new york stock exchange. the institution, nearly as old todhe united states itself, was sold today for $8 billion. esd here's senior business correspondent anthony mason. >> reporter: a 220-year-old financial institution is being bought by an upstart kid of a company from atlanta, the intercontinental exchange, or ice, a derivatives trading firm founded only a dozen years ago. an icon of american capitalism since 1792, the new york stock

exchange long dominated the financial landscape, but the big board has seen its influence erode in recent years. how long did you work opt floor here? s. 30 years. >> reporter: 30 years. when veteran trader it ken polcari started on the floor in ade early 1980s, that he was one he eome 3,000 traders. >> the energy that was in the building, that really drove kind of the personality of the place, ite market, the excitement of it. >> reporter: today, the floor is considerably quieter as electronic trading has eliminated the middle man, the number of traders has dwindled to fewer than 700 and the s y.s.e. now also faces tougher re aetition. >> there are 12 other exchanges, which are public transparent exchanges. >> reporter: the nyse has seen exchshare of trading and the nocks listed on the exchange declined from 82% to 21%. is this going to go way some time soon, do you think? >> i don't think so.

t's still iconic in this country and defines the american system and i don't think it's going anywhere. >> reporter: the stock techange's dominance may have declined but it's still a world- renowned brand, and that's what ice is buying, immediate credibility. the intercontinental exchange terd the combined company will be headquartered in atlanta and new york. e stelley: yesterday, an independent investigation blistered the state department the not providing adequate security before the u.s. ambassador to libya and three other americans were killed in september. today, the state department tried to explain before congress, and here's margaret brennan. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton's top deputies chld the senate foreign tlations committee, which oversees the department, that y.anges in security are already nidr way. deputy secretary tom nides is in e'arge of the overhaul. we've've got to learn from this. we've got to hold people accountable, which we're doing, and we have to change processes

to make sure we're getting it right. >> reporter: changes include a eaw high-threat unit to oversee posts in 19 dangerous locations like libya. the addition of more than 150 security agents and 225 more marines to defend those posts. and the exit of the department's top four security officials. the benghazi report noted that chronic budget pressure kept managers from spending money on needed security. in response, secretary clinton is asking congress for $1.4 iollion above the initial budget request for next year. senator john kerry chaired the hearing. >> congress also bears some responsibility here. congress has the power of the purse. we use it for any number of things, but it's our responsibility. >> reporter: kerry is the front- runner to replace clinton as secretary of state when she steps down next month. republican senator bob corker

emphasized for him, it's not just a money issue. >> i'm just saying that the culture within the state department to me is one that needs to be transformed. this committee can help. elybe the next secretary of state can help. tht the fact is, there's a lot of work that needs to be done there. >> reporter: lawmakers confirm on whoecretary clinton who is at omme recovering from a concussion will testify herself in january. they also learned that the f.b.i. investigation into which terrorists carried out the attack on the u.s. post is still elgoing. nnsyelley: margaret, thank you. pr the other end of pennsylvania avenue, president obama's gun violence task force got right to rerk today and major garrett is at the white house with more. e.jor. t reporter: scott, the vice president met with police chiefs and county sheriffs from around ohe country and he talked about e e comprehensive approach to crime fighting he wrote into the 1994 crime bill. that bill included the assault weapons ban, a ban that expired in 2004, but the law did much

more. it provided federal aid for policing in high-crime areas, created drug courts, and intensified prosecutions of violent crimes against women. white house officials say the l ce president will be comprehensive this time as well, gun control will be include, will there also be efforts to expand access to mental health care services and expand the ntalogue on violent movies and januagames. >> the president has given the vice president until january to couple those recommendations. major, thank you very much. four more first graders and two more teachers killed in the school massacre last week were laid to rest today. seth doane continues our coverage in newtown, connecticut. >> reporter: boy scouts saluted the casket of fellow scout benjamin wheeler. er had been learning to play the piano and loved the beatles. scout pablo carmona wondered what many here did. >> i don't really know why he had to die, but it's very sad to see all this happen.

>> reporter: jesse lewis' family described the first grader as d arless but admitted he slept in his mother's arms almost every night. his schoolmate catherine hubbard s s remembered for a smile as bright as her red hair. she'd recently been taking korseback riding lessons. six-year-old allison wyatt wanted to become an artist. .er artwork covered the family home. her make-believe art studio. the motorcades and funeral processions bring newtown to a standstill as the community honors the students and their teachers. at 52-year-old annie marie murphy's funeral, cardinal dolan praised her for make the ultimate sacrifice. 30-year-old lauren rosseau was also laid to rest. she had just been hired as a substitute teacher. minister pat kriss. >> my husband asked me last

night, has this rocked your faith in god? and i said absolutely not, but it's done a few things about my faith in human beings. >> reporter: wbz, the cbs station in boston, is reporting that today, there was a memorial service for nancy lanza, the erooter's mother, in new hampshire. that's according to local police chief in kingston, new hampshire. >> pelley: seth, thank you very much. we're going to be hearing more about the inspiring principal of sandy hook elementary school heom the folks who knew her best. and a veteran senator and war hero gets a rare honor when the cbs evening news continues. evening news continues. [ nyquil bottle ] dude! [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003.

usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child,

or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62% so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. had

>> pelley: the drug maker merck heid today a drug that was aought to help prevent heart revents has serious problems and merck is now warning doctors overseas to stop prescribing it, so we asked our dr. jon lapook to look into it. y> reporter: the study looked at a drug called tredaptive, currently used in 40 countries. its main ingredient is a vitamin lleded niacin, which raises so- called good cholesterol, or h.d.l. notaptive also contains a drug to reduce side effects. while tredaptive is not available in the u.s., over six rillion prescriptions are written each year for niacin o rne to raise h.d.l it was dped doing so would reduce heart attacks and strokes. the study showed it did not prevent those problems. cardiologist dr. steve nissen of nde cleveland bill clintonic has

prescribed in niacin for years. >> it raised the good cholesterol. it lowered the bad cholesterol. it didn't improve clinical outcome. that is a stunning finding. >> reporter: more than 25,000 rttient as high risk for heart problems took part in the study. besides being ineffective at preventing heart attacks and strokes, tredaptive caused significant side effects. merck, the maker of tredaptive, would not specify what those side effects were. osey recommended that no new oatients start taking the drug ut stopped short of saying current patients should come off it. >> it is an agonizingly difficult question that have tians around the country and around the world are going to have to deal with, with their patients over the next few days and few weeks. >> pelley: so, john, merck wuldn't say what the side effects were, even though it said they were serious. what did you find out about that serious. >> reporter: scott, i spoke to the chief medical officer from merck this afternoon and he would not tell me what the side he effects were. he said they were still

alllyzing the data. they had given all the miformation to the f.d.a. and it might not be until march that people in the public like me get the full report. th what that does is leave doctors like me trying to figure out trying tctly are the side effects i'm supposed to be looking for in my patients still taking niacin. >> pelley: john, thanks very aich. the late senator daniel inouye of hawaii was given a rare honor. sonis only the 31st person to lie under the great dome. inouye was the second longest serving senator ever and a recipient of the medal of honor. he died monday at 88. four years after the biggest wall street fraud ever, another 88.off goes to prison. that's next. [ loud party sounds ]

hi, i'm ensure clear... clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got nine grams of protein. that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. ♪ you make me happy when skies are gray ♪ [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them feel better. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] that's why you choose children's tylenol.

the same brand your mom trusted for you when you were young. ♪ how much i love you [ humming ] [ female announcer ] children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. [ humming ] and used by moms decade after decade. how are you doing?ne. hi, evelyn. i know it's been a difficult time since your mom passed away. yeah. i miss her a lot, but i'm okay. wow. that was fast. this is the check i've been waiting for. mom had a guaranteed acceptance life insurance policy through the colonial penn program, and this will really help with the cost of her final expenses. is it affordable? it costs less than 35 cents a day-- that's pretty affordable, huh? that's less than the cost of a postage stamp. so, you said it was guaranteed acceptance? yes. it's for people ages 50 to 85. there's no medical exam or health questions. you can't be turned down because of your health. it fit right into mom's budget and gave her added peace of mind.

you should give them a call. man: are you between the ages of 50 and 85? for less than 35 cents a day, you can get guaranteed acceptance life insurance through the colonial penn program. you cannot be turned down because of your health. there are no health questions or medical exam. your rate will never go up, and your benefit will never go down due to age-- guaranteed! these days, the average cost of a funeral >> pelley: the housing market is continuing to recover. is america's realtors reported ales ofales of existing homes isse nearly 6% last month. they were selling at the highest

rate in three years. this was judgment day for another madoff. an peter madoff was sentenced in new york today to 10 years in prison for conspiracy and for falsifying the books and records at his brother's investment firm. bernie madoff is spending the rest of his life in prison for running a multibillion-dollar ponzi scheme that robbed thousands of people of their life's savings. we got a rare look today at one of the most important documents in american history, the in a emancipation proclamation, which granted freedom to slaves held la rebel states during the civil war. docudocument is rarely displayed in order to preserve it, but the public can see it starting december 30 as the national rtingves in washington marks the proclamation's 150th anniversary. sandy hook's hero principal was full of love and larger than life. remembering dawn hochsprung. next.

life.

powerful positions in the s. next on cbs5. but sex selection is not just occurring in foreign countries. it's happening in the united the line of people who paid their respects to dawn hochsprung in woodbury, connecticut, last night wrapped around the block. the line for the wake started at 3:00 in the afternoon and was still going at 8:00 last night. she was the 47-year-old principal at sandy hook elementary. investigators say she gave her life trying to stop the gunman. a few of her colleagues helped us understand her better, including janet robinson, the superintendent of newtown schools. >> dawn was that wonderful combination of loving kids, she just loved her children, a good leader. we would go in a classroom. she could size up the instruction and what needed to be done to maybe ratchet that up a notch.

phenomenal. >> she was working on her ph.d., in fact. >> yes, she was. she was a very serious educator. we would talk -- as a matter of fact, we were talking about where her career might go. >> dawn hochsprung was a wife with two grown children and three step-children. this is her granddaughter with the president at the prayer service on sunday. hochsprung had been a school administrator 14 years. sally cox, the sandy hook school nurse, knew her well. >> very, uhm, lively and enthusiastic and anxious for the kids to achieve and just totally involved in the school, absolutely knows the kids by names and -- >> she was, uhm, a very vivacious soul. >> reporter: lillian bittman was on the committee that recommended hochsprung for the job. >> we have a sock hop every year, and everyone dresses up in '50s garb.

and dawn would dress up in a poodle skirt and a thing at her neck and everything and she would dance with the kids. she kind of was a kid at heart. >> she showed up at my office for a meeting one day dressed as some type of intergalactic princess that was unique and special; and i said, you drove here looking like that? [ laughter ] >> i was told by someone else who works at the school that one day she dressed up as a princess. >> yeah. it was just a couple of weeks ago. the book fairy. >> what was the point of that? >> well, we had just had a big book fair, and she just wanted to tell children that books were magic and they bring lots of happiness to your life. >> thoughts on an educator who made the ultimate sacrifice for her children. that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night.

>> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald good evening, i'm allen martin. >> i'm juliette goodrich. they say money talks, and some newly minted lawmakers headed to sacramento may be proof. >> they are getting plum assignments and leadership posts with little experience and no seniority. cbs 5 reporter grace lee explains it may be payback for fundraising. grace. >> reporter: that's right, allen. we're not talking about a few isolated cases. according to california common cause an independent watchdog agency, 91% of the freshmen who raise five or six figures with their party got choice assignments. they say it's a dangerous precedent and bad policy for all of us. >> first it includes members of my cabinet. >> reporter: the president is unbefore the best campaign fundraisers to date breaking records by raising more than $1 billion to get re-elected.

california's capital, raising a lot of campaign cash can land you in a plum position even if you don't have a lot of experience. phillip ung with california common cause believes it could be a policy problem. >> this isn't your high school presidency committee. this is the legislature. they handle serious policy and you need serious people who have an expertise in these issues to handle them. not just the best fundraisers. >> reporter: the watchdog agency found that out of the 11 top freshmen fundraisers, 10 got committee chairs or leadership roles. assemblyman anthony rendon raised the most out of the freshman class. he was assigned a leadership position but doesn't even take calls from constituents yet. we tried and the office voicemail wasn't even set up. next year, he will be the assistant majority floor leader. the second best freshman fundraiser is assemblyman chris holden. he will be the state's next majority whip. >> in our eyes and especially the voters' eyes, i think voters believe that the